Muddy turnout without access to straw

[QueenT]

Hi all,
I was always taught that horses should have access to straw/hay/someting at all times, but at our yard a lot of the horses do not have access to any food for at least 5-6 hours. Pastures are all mud now and the owner doesn’t allow anything to be put out. How big a problem is this really? I am worrying about colic, ulcers etc. I know all the gastric processes etc but is it over sensitive of me to keep pushing for this? They are out from 9 to 3-ish. Ad lib access to hay once stabled and meals are spread out on four servings. Thanks!

 

[TheMule]

If it genuinely is all just mud and there's no forage put out then that to me is just as bad as keeping the horse in the box the whole time. I wouldn't keep my horse there.

 

[Blazingsaddles]

Hi all,
I was always taught that horses should have access to straw/hay/someting at all times, but at our yard a lot of the horses do not have access to any food for at least 5-6 hours. Pastures are all mud now and the owner doesn’t allow anything to be put out. How big a problem is this really? I am worrying about colic, ulcers etc. I know all the gastric processes etc but is it over sensitive of me to keep pushing for this? They are out from 9 to 3-ish. Ad lib access to hay once stabled and meals are spread out on four servings. Thanks!

That’s bad. They’re not dogs. They need access to forage 24/7. Whether that’s hay or barley straw or grass.

 

[Goldenstar]

Horses do not need to constantly eat they don’t constantly eat in the wild .
watch the horses , what are they doing if they have their heads down browsing around they will ok , it’s a little to long without genuinely anything to eat .
But horses are dying of obesity now because they are being stuffed with forage like christmas geese .
Its winter ,they are designed for want in winter .
my horses are out four to five hours a day my field is like the somme they browse about they socialise they stand in the sun if it comes out .
when they come in only one the warmblood has ad-lib forage while in his stable .
they are ID’s it’s a straight choice they are either fat or on restricted forage , and these horses are working two are hunting .
Outside without forage is good they are moving they are occupied trying to find food
so come in hungry.
Why do we see so much EMS now because we feed horses too much usually forage just like people with type 2 diabetes .
Unless your horse is skinny you don’t have a problem .

 

[Blazingsaddles]

I agree

Horses do not need to constantly eat they don’t constantly eat in the wild .
watch the horses , what are they doing if they have their heads down browsing around they will ok , it’s a little to long without genuinely anything to eat .
But horses are dying of obesity now because they are being stuffed with forage like christmas geese .
Its winter ,they are designed for want in winter .
my horses are out four to five hours a day my field is like the somme they browse about they socialise they stand in the sun if it comes out .
when they come in only one the warmblood has ad-lib forage while in his stable .
they are ID’s it’s a straight choice they are either fat or on restricted forage , and these horses are working two are hunting .
Outside without forage is good they are moving they are occupied trying to find food
so come in hungry.
Why do we see so much EMS now because we feed horses too much usually forage just like people with type 2 diabetes .
Unless your horse is skinny you don’t have a problem .

They should still have something to keep their gut mobilised - fat or skinny.

 

[Goldenstar]

A horses gut will not be immobilised by turnout in a very muddy paddock for five to six hours .
if they have some fibrous type feed as a bucket feed in the morning and some forage then get turned out they will be fine .

 

[JFTDWS]

Are they really mud and nothing else? Because it's ridiculously mild and my paddocks are growing - even the one which appears to be mud from the gateway, once you're inside you can see the grass growing through and the beasts leave their hay to eat it.

 

[ycbm]

I'm pretty sure that current advice to avoid ulcers is that horses should not have longer than two hours without food. The reason being that unlike other animals their production of acid is constant, not just when they have eaten.

I also disagree with restricting forage because a horse will get fat. If it gets fat, feed it straw and soaked hay/haylage and exercise it more. Only if it really can't be exercised more and gets fat even on straw and soaked hay would I restrict forage.

.

 

[QueenT]

Are they really mud and nothing else? Because it's ridiculously mild and my paddocks are growing - even the one which appears to be mud from the gateway, once you're inside you can see the grass growing through and the beasts leave their hay to eat it.

Nothing is growing yet, so just mud. Convinced owners to put out a few nets yesterday, so they have something to nibble on

 

[JFTDWS]

Nothing is growing yet, so just mud. Convinced owners to put out a few nets yesterday, so they have something to nibble on

I presume you're in the north or Scotland then, because it's been so mild down here, it's been excellent grass growing conditions.

 

[Blazingsaddles]

I’m down south and my lawn has remained the same height since October when I last mowed. The paddocks are waterlogged and damage caused by hooves will prevent growth. The temperature has been comparatively mild but due to the rainfall, the ground is saturated and becomes a quagmire with use. I cannot bear horses standing around in bog like conditions with nothing to nibble on. (Unless you’ve got post and rail, which they will enjoy)and cost you thousands to replace. I’ll stick to providing forage.

 

[JFTDWS]

I'm in East Anglia and have had unprecedented growth in my rested fields, and my lawn at home - it's up to about 8" in parts of one field, despite being grazed down until mid October. I can see where the grass in my grazed fields is growing and my lot are leaving their forage to eat it. Obviously if the horses are on a very small acreage that might be negligible, but I think people tend to underestimate grass growth because they can't see it.

 

[Goldenstar]

Because they are eating it as it grows .

 

[chaps89]

It looks like nothing is growing on our field but based on the fact they are largely ignoring the hay and grazing something is obviously coming through!
If it really is just mud then I wouldn't want them left that long without food. Try and observe them at different times during their turnout hours - are they stood around doing nothing/hanging by the gate/charging about or do they seem to be grazing/nibbling/mooning? If the latter I wouldn't be so worried

 

[ester]

TBF my lawn hasn't grow since the g.pigs came off it in october, the moss is doing well though.

Still strip grazing in somerset

 

[chaps89]

Mooching not mooning thanks auto correct!

 

[AdorableAlice]

Many horses and ponies, despite the amount of hay given to them, will have eaten the lot by midnight when stabled. They will then stand there dozing and digesting until the morning. It is simply not possible for every type of horse to have feed in front of it 24/7, there would be a lot of fat dead horses. Sadly the horses that do eat 24/7 are the ones that often don't need to and pay the price if they are enabled to do so.

Watching horses overnight on a camera is fascinating and gives you a real insight into what they get up to. One of mine has a set routine. 7pm is tea time, bucket licked clean and off he toddles into the corner of his barn for a kip. A pee at 9pm ish, then he starts on his hay or haylage, he has a choice and is fed adlib. He puts the bulk of his forage in between 9 and 1am then he goes back to his favourite corner and has another standing sleep. His head gets very heavy and he moves into the centre of his bed and has another pee, desperately fighting the urge to lie down he finally gives in and gets down. He stays on his chest for 45 mins before keeling over on to his side. Then he dreams for half an hour with lots of running and twitching. He gets up and has yet another pee, a yawn and a stretch. More often than not he will return to his corner and rest standing up for several more hours without eating anymore hay. So he is imposing no food intervals by himself, that is just his routine.

Frustratingly, his furry friend living next door has a different view on food and regardless of quantity or quality for that matter, 1 wedge of hay, 1 bale of hay, 1 round bale or a flipping heston, it is all going down his gullet at warp factor 10 and there is absolutely no doubt he will eat until he pops.

 

[chaps89]

That's fascinating AA!
I'd love to have cameras to do the same but I suspect I'd never sleep
My horse falls firmly into the same camp as your other one who will eat everything in sight.

Op, it's also worth condition scoring your horse/s.
I was asked earlier if it was a good idea to introduce ryegrass haylage for a horse who had lost weight. Horse in question is about right and for the time of year I really wouldn't want any more weight on them.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I'm in East Anglia and have had unprecedented growth in my rested fields, and my lawn at home - it's up to about 8" in parts of one field, despite being grazed down until mid October. I can see where the grass in my grazed fields is growing and my lot are leaving their forage to eat it. Obviously if the horses are on a very small acreage that might be negligible, but I think people tend to underestimate grass growth because they can't see it.

I'm envious of your grass growth.

I'm mostly on sand (about quarter of acre is peat with natural spring alongside) and sand is bloody great for draining quickly, superb for porkers as once the grass has gone, it takes a long time to get a good sward on it.
I moved mine out of the winter paddock in early November due the monsoons, it's the one with peaty loam at the end, only in the last week has it greened over but still no length at all to it. (Not even half an inch)
The adjacent paddock has been resting since 3rd week in Sept, again it's now got a green tinge but no length to it.
Generally, my lower paddocks wont return a decent length till mid May, but then the top fields will get away in July provided we dont have an arid summer.

Swings and roundabouts tho, most of my grazing suits my 2 little ones, B Fuzzy gets the rested stuff half the time

 

[JFTDWS]

I'm envious of your grass growth.

I'm mostly on sand...
Swings and roundabouts tho, most of my grazing suits my 2 little ones, B Fuzzy gets the rested stuff half the time

Clay has to have some advantage, because the mud is grotty You just have to look at it funny and it springs up, and it's never fertilised either. The down side of this is my lot put on weight when the field looks barren (and indeed do not need more forage at those times!).

 

[Leo Walker]

The grass has never stopped growing here in Bucks/Nortants either. This is the verge outside the yard this afternoon

 

[Errin Paddywack]

We are the same, also Northamptonshire. Fields look great from a distance but to walk on more like marsh.